Growers urged to get to grips with new greening regulations

Despite issuing a call for the Scottish Government to release rules on greening policy in better time to be built in to cropping plans, NFU Scotland yesterday advised producers to get to grips with this year’s late but welcome changes to the rules.

The union reminded growers that the most recent changes meant many mixed farming businesses would no longer have to comply with crop diversification (three- crop rule) regulations or the Ecological Focus Area (EFA) requirements.

Union president Andrew Mccornick said: “The new rules state that farmers with more than 75 percent of all their eligible land in permanent grass, temporary grass or rough grazing are exempt from the threecrop rule and EFA.

“Another rule change states that all farmers with more than 75 per cent of their eligible arable land in temporary grass, fallow or leguminous crops will also be exempt.”

Stating that complying with the three-crop rule and EFA requirements were among the most onerous of the greening requirements, he said the new changes were a positive development: “These changes will still deliver on all the environmental and biodiversity requirements set by greening but give farmers some muchneeded flexibility.”

And he added: “With many mixed farmers planning for spring right now, we urge the Scottish Government to update its greening rule book as soon as possible.”